


Battle for the Board

by Karwin



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Chess, Power system
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-17 11:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20620199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karwin/pseuds/Karwin
Summary: The war has gone on for so long people not only no longer remember the cause, they no longer much care. But they remember who started it, and they will not let it go for any reason.





	Battle for the Board

“Some of you may be wondering, just why is it that we are at war, ” Commander Inqur, Blazing Regent of the Ebony army said, “Why it is that we do battle with the Ivorys. But there is a single immutable fact that has been passed down through the ages, and while the start of the war has been lost to time, it is this fact that holds us together, that keeps our will to push forward strong: They attacked first. And they openly admit to it. They started this mess millennia ago, and it's our job to put an end to it.” 

Sometimes, Nicholas thought, the commander just liked to hear himself talk. The war had been on for two hundred sixty eight thousand nine hundred and ninety nine years, discussing why it continued at this point would be like administering a step by step instruction booklet on why one ought not to use their swords to pick their teeth. 

But Nic supposed it was worth muddling through one more speech so he could finally leave the barracks and join a battalion. By this time tomorrow, he'd be out in the midst of battle, actually crossing the board of battle towards the Ivory Kingdom. 

He had no grand belief that he would be the one to finally end the war, at least he hadn't since he'd been able to see the full scale of the conflict at hand. But if he could just make his mark... do something that would leave a memory of him behind, that suited him right to the ground. There weren't so many Pawns who got remembered for much. 

There was Pauline the Patient, Silent Infantry and her surprise attack on the largest convoy to date, Austin Ornate, the Poetic Legionnaire and his assault of the walls of the Ivory Kingdom, and that was about it for great Pawn heroes. Nicholas wasn't even sure if there had been other Blazing Infantry in the past. 

With so long since the war started, he found it hard to believe that there had been none before him, there were only a hundred and forty four possibly soldier combinations in the world after all and none was especially unique, but he'd never once heard of an Infantry or Legionnaire class of the Blazing type like him. They seemed to have just been up and lost to history. 

Well he'd put an end to that. If he could leave his mark, then maybe some generations down the line, he could inspire another Pawn to step up, and if only in some small way, he would be responsible for putting an end to it all. 

But he was getting ahead of himself. So long in his musing he'd been in fact, that he now found himself the only person still in the barracks, the commander and all other soldiers having left. 

With a yelp, Nicholas quickly checked that his arming sword was still at his hip and then raced out the door to be assigned to his battalion. 

The King and Queen classes got to choose whoever they wanted to take along themselves, no input required from anyone else. Nicholas had always heard it was a stressful process, but had never understood the magnitude of it until he was standing there in line with all the other Pawn classes, watching the handful of higher ups eye them up and down like they were on show. 

Most disheartening were the Infantry or Legionnaires who were taken ten or even twenty at a time, presumably under the assumption that none of them would last very long. Nicholas bit the inside of his cheek when, for a moment, he feared he'd been picked for a lot like this; the number requested stopping just one away from him. 

He tried not to make his sigh of relief to obvious, but couldn't help but imagine that everyone saw and heard it. 

Then finally came Cassandra, a Grounded Amazon with a short blonde hair and a battle axe of black steel over her shoulder. 

She gave each group only a cursory glance, eyes seeming to zone in on one member from each like the guidance system of a tactical missile. She chose only one from each group, her finger pointing to Nicholas last. 

He rushed to join her group, not caring at first that it was the smallest group assembled that day. Counting Cassandra herself, there were only five of them there. But at the time, Nicholas' relief at being chosen at all, and not as fodder, let him rationalize this. 

'If we leave here with the smallest group, and do better than anyone else,' he thought as he fell in line behind a tank of a man with an oddly grassy smell about him, 'Then our great actions will only shine out more.' 

As he followed his new group towards the massive wall that separated the barracks from the board, he couldn't help but begin to recognize the... statistical numbers disadvantage. 

Perhaps it was just the sheer size of the wall, poking out above the clouds so its top could not be seen, that made him reconsider. If that was the size of their protection, then it stood to reason they faced dangerous that required it. 

And a group of five hardly seemed appropriate. 

As he walked, Cassandra introduced herself, and requested that the four of them introduce themselves as well. “Just name and class for now,” Cassandra added. 

“Dina. Poetic Paladin,” the armored girl taken from the Bishop section answered, her grip on her mace tightening as they approached the wall. 

“Teagon, Golden Prior,” The short girl taken from the Knight section responded, the jingling of the sac at her side now making much more sense. 

“Kaleb, Seeded Fortress.” The brick wall of a man in front of Nicholas said before he followed suit, “Nicholas, Blazing Infantry.” 

“Interesting bunch.” Cassandra said, seemingly too herself as they reached the exit of the wall; the thickness of their barrier on display by how long a walk they had ahead of them to actually be passed it. 

“If you don't mind my asking ma'am,” Teagon said as they walked, “Why only name and class?” 

“Don't want anyone getting too attached just yet,” Cassandra responded, “We can leave that until after we know you've survived your first day.”


End file.
